Hardware maker Conexant has announced a new product that is now available for a number of gadgets promising to bring audiophile-grade headphone amplification to a number of devices. The new headphone amplifier is an ultra low-power Class H 2.8V amplifier called the CX3000. The amplifier is designed for smartphones, music feature phones, computers, portable media players, and audiophile grade portable headphone amplifiers.

The manufacturer says that audiophiles have preferred high impedance 32 to 600 ohms headphones for a long time. The company says that higher impedance allows more coil turning in the transducer producing a finer analog resolution and higher fidelity sound. Headphones with higher impedance also draw less current from the amplifier, meaning less distortion.

Key features of the CX3000 include a 106 dB SNR Class H Headphone Driver. The amplifier has an integrated impedance measurement allowing it to throttle different output levels and a noise gate that removes idle channel noise. The amplifier is designed to extend battery life needing less than 4uA for standby power.

Conexant also integrates short-circuit protection with auto recovery, compression to avoid hard clipping at full-scale, and special technology to reduce pops and clicks during playback. The amplifier is also physically small measuring 1.61 mm x 1.61 mm and uses a WLCSP package. The amplifier costs $.50 each in quantities of 50,000. There is no indication of when products using this new amplifier might turn up on the market.